Editorial: More than ever, democracy comes easy in the voting booth

It's nearly election time again, and a record 111,848 Jackson County residents will be eligible to go to the polls a week from today.

Not nearly that many will, of course, but the voter registration numbers should be viewed as a hope for our democracy. Michigan's "motor-voter" registration system mean that adults have to make a conscious choice not to register to vote.

Technology gives us more knowledge than ever about political candidates. They have their websites, plus media outlets like the Jackson Citizen Patriot and MLive.com put a wealth of information just a mouseclick away.

The voting process itself is becoming easier. In Jackson County next week, several polling locations will feature machines that will read driver's licenses. That will speed the experience.

And if the Legislature agrees to reform that we have seen in other states, someday there might be online voting in Michigan. Or people will be allowed to take out absentee ballots for any reason, not just the few that are allowed today.

Whether you take part in electing this area's next congressman, state representatives, state senators and county commissioners is your decision. And yours alone: The system makes the process nearly as simple as anyone can expect.

So, mark your calendars for next Tuesday. Call your city or township clerk, or read our political coverage at blog.mlive.com/jackson-politics. Then, there's only one thing left to do: